On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the traditional grape harvest begins in Romania. This is why the second week of September is called "Grape Week," and September itself is often referred to as the "Month of Grapes." Grape harvesting for winemaking has long been considered a celebration. For the Romans, the harvest began with a festival in honor of the future crop. Young slaves pressed grapes to the sound of songs known as "press songs" or "wine songs." In ancient times, during the grape harvest, no slave could be punished, and they were free to drink as much wine as they wanted, even daring to rebuke their master. Romania has been producing wine for about 3,000 years. Vineyards cover around 300,000 hectares, and the country produces about 500,000 tons of wine annually. As a result, grape harvesting has become a national holiday, celebrated on September 13. During the harvest period, vats of muscat grapes and clay pitchers are placed at the entrance to wine cellars for passersby to taste and assess the quality of the wine. At markets, sellers scoop wine from barrels and hand customers full ladles, encouraging them to "Try it!" Must (freshly pressed grape juice) flows freely at fairs during the festival. Must is an intermediate product in winemaking, essentially unfermented wine. The most famous wine produced from Romanian grapes is "Feteasca." There is "Feteasca" made from white grapes and a deep ruby-red "Feteasca," a dry or semi-dry wine made from black grape varieties. Viticulture is treated with great seriousness in Romania: the country has 11 research stations and institutes for viticulture and winemaking, and winemakers and viticulturists are educated at 6 universities and agricultural institutes. In addition, Romania has two museums dedicated to Romanian viticulture and winemaking.